Poker system and method of use

ABSTRACT

A system and method whereby players are able to elicit game play information about other players during poker games, namely at the conclusion of certain poker hands. Players are provided with one or more game props or challenge rights which can be used to “challenge” a player after a poker hand whereby the challenged player must reveal his or her hole cards to the player or all players at the poker table. The purpose of the challenge being to determine whether the challenged player was bluffing. The challenge does not alter the outcome of the poker hand but allows players to elicit game player information. The game prop may be any tangible item useable in a live game of poker. For example, the game prop may be a chip, button, card, token or marker. In an online version, the game prop may be any simulated item or challenge right.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The embodiments of the present invention relate to a poker game chip orsimilar prop or challenge right for use by poker players to elicitinformation from other poker players.

BACKGROUND

The popularity of poker has exploded over the past 10 years. There aremany reasons for the popularity explosion including larger fields,larger prizes, television and online access. One benefit for viewers oftelevised poker tournaments is that each player's hole cards arerevealed so the audience knows when a player is bluffing. However, theother players may never find out if a player is bluffing unless at theconclusion of the hand at least one other player remains in the hand.Such player information is valuable in that it allows other players tounderstand the playing style of their opponents.

It would therefore be advantageous to allow players to determine ifother players were bluffing or not bluffing after a poker hand concludeswithout having to call a large bluff bet. It would be furtheradvantageous to limit access to such information at particular momentsas selected by the players.

SUMMARY

Accordingly, the poker system and method disclosed and detailed hereininvolve the use of a game prop (e.g., chip, card, etc.) provided topoker players for use in a poker tournament or cash game. In oneembodiment, The game prop is used after a poker hand concludes and oneplayer has won the hand with all other players folding their hands—thatis under circumstances when the winning player is not required to revealhis or her hole cards. Under such circumstances a player may challengethe winning player to show their hole cards to the challenger or allplayers at the table. The use of the game prop may be limited to onceper tournament or cash game session or may have less restricted usedepending on the operator of the poker game. The game props may beprovided to players for free or for a fee.

With the embodiments of the present invention, players are able tostrategically and selectively gather meaningful information regardingthe playing strategy of their opponents. In another embodiment, playersmay be permitted to collect game props when they are used successfully(i.e., uncover a bluff) or when used against the player unsuccessfully(i.e., the player did not bluff) in an effort to collect the most gameprops over the course of a tournament or cash game session. In such anembodiment, the player collecting the most game props may win an award.In another embodiment, responsive to a game prop being used, otherplayers may place side wagers on whether the player was or was notbluffing In another embodiment, the game prop may be branded orsponsored (e.g., the Budweiser Challenge Chip).

Those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments of thepresent invention may be utilized with poker games played via onlinepoker websites accessed by electronic poker devices (e.g., cell phones,laptops, desktops, etc.). In such an embodiment, players utilize a userinterface to undertake the challenge.

Other variations, embodiments and features of the present invention willbecome evident from the following detailed description, drawings andclaims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1 a and 1 b illustrate exemplary game props in the form of aChallenge Chip according to the embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a flow chart detailing one method of playing a pokergame according to the embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary side bet area which may be depicted on apoker table layout according to the embodiments of the presentinvention;

FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary online system whichmay be used to facilitate the embodiments of the present invention; and

FIGS. 5 a-5 c illustrate exemplary web pages associated with a onlinewebsite which may be used to facilitate the embodiments of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles inaccordance with the embodiments of the present invention, reference willnow be made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings and specificlanguage will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless beunderstood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is therebyintended. Any alterations and further modifications of the inventivefeature illustrated herein, and any additional applications of theprinciples of the invention as illustrated herein, which would normallyoccur to one skilled in the relevant art and having possession of thisdisclosure, are to be considered within the scope of the inventionclaimed.

The embodiments of the present invention may be used with any poker gameincluding, but not limited to, No-Limit Texas Hold'em, Limit Hold'em,No-Limit Omaha, Limit Omaha, No-Limit Stud, Limit Stud and any othersand modifications thereto but for the purposes of brevity, the detaileddescription herein is directed to the poker game of Texas Hold'em. TexasHold'em is conventionally and generally played as follows: a) eachplayer receives two face-down hole cards; b) a first betting round isconducted with a first player to the left of a dealer button opening thebetting; c) three flop cards are dealt; d) a second betting round isconducted; e) a turn card is dealt; f) a third betting round isconducted; g) a river card is dealt; h) a fourth and final betting roundis conducted; and i) the pot is awarded to the player holding the bestpoker hand. The flop cards, turn card and river card are common cardsused by all players.

Assuming Texas Hold'em is the poker game, a folding player may challengea winning player after the hand concludes whether is concludes after thehole cards are dealt, the flop cards are dealt, the turn card is dealtor the river card is dealt. In one embodiment, any folding player maychallenge the winning player. Alternatively, only players remaining inthe hand to its conclusion can challenge the winning player.

The embodiments of the present invention relate to system and methodwhereby poker players are able to elicit game play information aboutother players during poker games, namely at the conclusion of certainpoker hands. In one embodiment, players are provided with a game propwhich can be used once during a tournament or cash game session to“challenge” a player after a hand whereby the challenged player mustreveal his or her hole cards to the player or all players at the pokertable. The purpose of the challenge being to determine whether thechallenged player was bluffing. Importantly, the challenge does notalter the outcome of the poker hand but allows players to elicit gameplayer information during a poker tournament or cash game. The game propmay be any tangible item useable in a live game of poker. For example,the game prop may be a chip, button, card, token, marker or similaritem. In an electronic embodiment the game prop may be any simulateditem, or right to challenge based on a recorded number of challenges.That is, whether live or online, the right to challenge does not have tobe tied to a game prop but nay simply be maintained as a number of suchchallenges available to each player. In an online environment, thechallenge may even be accomplished inconspicuously between the twoinvolved players without knowledge of the other players.

The use of the game prop is ultimately determined by the poker gameoperator (e.g., land-based casino or poker room owner, or online websiteowner) and in one embodiment the game prop may be used once per pokertournament or cash game. It is possible that some operators may allowthe use of the game prop more than once per tournament or cash gamekeeping in mind that the use of the game prop is ideally limited in somefashion so that players are not required to reveal too much game playinformation. The game prop is used after a poker hand concludes and oneplayer has won the hand with all other players folding the hands—that isunder circumstances when the winning player is not required to revealhis or her hole cards. In one embodiment, a challenged player must showhis or her hole cards to all players at the poker table. In analternative embodiment, the challenged player need only show the holecards to the challenger. In such an embodiment, multiple players maychallenge the winning player. Once the game prop is used, it is handedto the dealer and stored with game chips and in one embodiment, thewinner of the challenge is recorded for purposes of aggregatingchallenge winners for reasons described below.

FIG. 1 a shows an exemplary game prop in the form of a Challenge Chip.The Challenge Chip can take on various sizes and shapes but in oneembodiment, as shown, the Challenge Chip is circular and slightly largerthan a poker chip. As set forth herein, the game prop can take on anytangible form. As shown in FIG. 1 b, the game prop may be branded orsponsored (e.g., the Budweiser® Challenge Chip).

FIG. 2 shows a flow chart 200 detailing one method of conducting a pokertournament using the game prop disclosed herein. At 205, players enterthe tournament by paying a buy-in fee and possible surcharge for thedealers or other administrative overhead. At 210, players are providedwith one or more game props for use during the poker tournament.Depending on the poker game operator, the one or more game props may befree or purchased (e.g., $5 per game prop). If purchased, it may be anoptional purchase or required purchase. If optional and the player doesnot elect to purchase the one or more game props, that player will nothave the right to challenge other players. Whether optional or required,in one embodiment, the player is provided the right to purchase betweenone and multiple game props. At 215, the poker tournament begins. At220, it is determined if a game prop has been used. If not, at 225, thepoker tournament continues in a conventional fashion. If the game propis used, at 230, the winning player reveals his or her hole cards to thechallenging player or all other players. At 235, the game prop iscollected by the dealer. In one embodiment, the dealer may record thewinner of the challenge for purposes of collecting such information fora bonus award.

In another embodiment, other players may place wagers on whether achallenge placed will result in the challenger prevailing (i.e.,uncovering a bluff by the winning player) or losing (i.e., uncovering awinning hand by the winning player). FIG. 3 shows side wager area 300for players to place wagers on a challenge. In practice the side wagerarea 300 may be depicted at each player location on a poker table. Theside wager area 300 includes a challenger area 305 and winning playerarea 310 in which the player may place a wager. When and how the sidewagers may be placed, and corresponding payouts, are controlled by thepoker game operator.

In another embodiment, the poker game operator keeps track of whether aplayer wins or loses a challenge and correspondingly whether or not thewinning player of the hand wins or loses the challenge. A player havingthe most wins over the course of a tournament or poker game session maywin a bonus style prize or award.

In an online embodiment, software associated with allowing players toparticipate in the online poker games is modified to allow players touse simulated game props to challenge winning players in the onlineenvironment. FIG. 4 shows a block diagram 400 of an exemplary onlinesystem which may facilitate the embodiments of the present invention. Aserver 405 hosts a poker website which may be accessed using pokersoftware downloaded on a user desktop terminal 410, laptop terminal 415or hand-held device 420. Access may be accomplished via a wired orwireless connection .

In an online environment the challenge may be known to only the winningplayer and the challenger, or like a live environment, may be known andobservable by all players at the poker table. Undertaking the challengeis facilitated by a user interface (e.g., touch screen, mouse, etc.).Active icons depicted on the user desktop terminal 410, laptop terminal415 or hand-held device 420 are used to prompt players to use the gameprops when available for use. If purchased, the players may purchase thegame props at the time of signing up for a particular tournament or cashgame in the same manner as paying the buy-in fee.

FIGS. 5 a-5 c show exemplary web pages 505, 510 and 515 of the typewhich may be used to facilitate the embodiments of the presentinvention. Web page 505 is a sign-in page associated with a pokertournament. A series of active poker tournament icons 506 representingavailable poker tournaments are shown along with several inactive pokertournament icons 507 representing closed poker tournaments. Several ofthe active poker tournament icons 506 have a corresponding reference tothe fact that the poker tournament is using a game prop (i.e., ChallengeChip) 508. If the game props are provided for a fee, a next web page 510allows the player to purchase one or more game props using a game proppurchase drop down menu 511. The purchase price of the one or more gameprops is added to the price of the poker tournament and paid via aplayer account. Web page 515 shows a poker tournament game pageincluding a poker table 516, players 517 and corresponding game proptotal window 518. As shown, player 517-1 is being notified via activeicon 519 that he or she may use a game prop based on folding againstwinning player 517-2. If player 517-1 utilizes a game prop, the holdcards of player 517-2 are exposed to at least player 517-1 (and maybeall players depending on the poker game operator). In anotherembodiment, any folding player may use a game prop to view the holecards of the winning player 517-2.

The game props and challenge rights disclosed herein provide playerswith a means for acquiring player game play information during atournament or game session while the game play information may provideimmediate benefits to the challenging player. The game props andchallenge rights also incorporate another strategic feature into thepoker game—that being when to use the game props or challenge rights.Some players may use it early in the tournament or game session whileothers may wait to use them.

Although the invention has been described in detail with reference toseveral embodiments, additional variations and modifications existwithin the scope and spirit of the invention as described and defined inthe following claims.

1. A method of conducting a poker game comprising: providing one or moreplayers with one or more game props or challenge rights; dealing pokerhands using a randomized deck of conventional playing cards; responsiveto all but a winning player folding, allowing said one or more playersto utilize said one or more game props or challenge rights to challengea winning player at the conclusion of a poker hand; and requiring saidwinning player to reveal hole cards to at least a player challengingsaid winning player.
 2. The method of claim 1 further comprisingrequiring said winning player to reveal said hole cards to all otherplayers at the poker table.
 3. The method of claim 1 further comprisingproviding players with one game prop or challenge right.
 4. The methodof claim 1 wherein said game prop is selected from the group consistingof chip, button, card, token or marker.
 5. The method of claim 1 furthercomprising allowing players to place side wagers on whether a playerutilizing said game prop or challenge right wins or loses a challengeassociated therewith.
 6. The method of claim 1 further comprisingproviding one or more game props or challenge rights to players for afee.
 7. An electronically-implemented method of conducting a poker gamecomprising: processor-implemented steps of: providing one or moreplayers with one or more simulated game props or challenge rights;displaying poker hands using a deck of randomized conventional playingcards; responsive to all but a winning player folding, allowing said oneor more players to utilize said one or more simulated game props orchallenge rights to challenge a winning player at the conclusion of apoker hand; and revealing hole cards of said winning player to at leasta player challenging said winning player.
 8. The method of claim 7further comprising revealing said hole cards to all other players at thepoker table.
 9. The method of claim 7 further comprising providingplayers with one simulated game prop or challenge right.
 10. The methodof claim 7 wherein said game prop is selected from the group consistingof: chip, button, card, token or marker.
 11. The method of claim 7further comprising allowing players to place side wagers on whether aplayer utilizing said simulated game prop or challenge right wins orloses a challenge associated therewith.
 12. The method of claim 7further comprising limiting knowledge of the use of a game prop orchallenge right to the challenger and winning player of the hand. 13.The method of claim 7 further comprising providing one or more gameprops or challenge rights to players for a fee.
 14. A method ofconducting a poker game comprising: providing one or more players withone or more game props or challenge rights; dealing poker hands using arandomized deck of conventional playing cards; responsive to all but awinning player folding, allowing said one or more players to utilizesaid one or more game props or challenge rights to challenge a winningplayer at the conclusion of a poker hand; allowing players to place sidewagers on whether a player utilizing a game prop or challenge right, orwinning player had the best hand; requiring said winning player toreveal hole cards to at least a player challenging said winning player;and providing payouts to players placing a winning side wager.
 15. Themethod of claim 14 further comprising requiring said winning player toreveal said hole cards to all other players at the poker table.
 16. Themethod of claim 14 further comprising providing players with one gameprop or challenge right.
 17. The method of claim 13 wherein said gameprop is selected from the group consisting of: chip, button, card, tokenor marker.
 18. The method of claim 13 further comprising providing oneor more game props or challenge rights to players for a fee.